


TRAVELLER RETURNING

by ThaneZain



Series: it's a Fallen London/Minecraft Youtube au [7]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: BDubs is an ex seeker named Braeden "Doubles" Oleander, Nobody Dies, and does spooky seekery things, anyway keralis is a devil he goes by rally, bdubs beats up a bunch of nameless npcs, hate that mcyt have their real names attached, no siree no real people fics here, solar if I spelled that wrong pls tell me, strictly mc selves, uhh keralis has a gambling problem and is threatened, uhhh not a ton of violence? still be cautious, woo zain's first work in the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThaneZain/pseuds/ThaneZain
Summary: Braeden is worried about his friend Rally and decides to follow him one night.
Series: it's a Fallen London/Minecraft Youtube au [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717144
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	TRAVELLER RETURNING

It had been happening for a few weeks. Every now and again, Rally would come back to the cramped room in the smoky flophouse with a few bruises, scratches, and occasionally a black eye. He was evasive about questions as Braeden helped patch him up, scraping together a few pennies to get some Tincture of Vigour which luckily worked on devils.

Eventually, Braeden decided to follow him. He was versed enough in the ways of keeping himself unseen in the shadows that he was sure Rally wouldn’t notice, and it’s not like he was busy doing anything with his time.

The streets were quiet as Braeden slipped through the dark alleyways, trailing Rally in the direction of the docks.  _ If that idiot’s going gambling again… _

Braeden watched as Rally glanced furtively from side to side before ducking into a dark alleyway behind a gambling house.  _ Knew it. _

Fully intending to reveal himself and chide his friend for his bad habits, Braeden strode towards the alley but suddenly paused when he heard raised voices.

“It’s been two weeks and you haven’t been able to scrape up enough to pay off the boss, devil. At this rate you’ll have to pay with a pound of flesh, if you even have any.” The voice was low and rough and Braeden didn’t recognize it.

“Of a sort,” he heard Rally reply cheekily. “Don’t know how much it’d be worth to you, though.”

“Oh, hush up, you grilled snake,” a new voice growled. “If you haven’t learned your lesson yet, we may just have to teach you. Again.”

Braeden’s blood was boiling. So  _ this  _ was where Rally was getting hurt. Without preamble he stepped into the alley and took quick stock of his surroundings. Three men armed with cudgels on one side, Rally on the other. Barely pausing, he picked one of the men up and threw him across the alleyway to crash against the wall and land in a pile of rubbish. His two companions shouted in surprise and rushed Braeden, but he easily fended them off. He didn’t even have a weapon on him but he managed to block both of their attempted blows before heaving one man into the other.

Rally stared at the scene in surprise. “Bubbles? What in the name of the Four…?”

“Rally, you idiot,” Braeden growled as he grappled with one of the bruisers. “You didn’t tell me this was what was goin’ on!”

Rally shrugged. “I was handling it.”

“You were outnumbered, stupid!”

“I’m not now, though, am I?” Rally said, grinning toothily.

Braeden hissed through his teeth and rolled his eyes before shoving two of the men out onto the street where they immediately scrambled to their feet and raced away.

Braeden turned to face the remaining bruiser who looked like he was doing his best to not soil his pants. 

“Who  _ are _ you?” the man asked in horror. 

“Who am I?” Braeden whispered. “Who am _ I? _ ” He chuckled softly, the dark sound echoing off of the uneven stones. “I’m  _ nobody. _ ” He closed his eyes and fell silent, letting his hands fall to his side. The bruiser glanced around uneasily and Rally shrugged at him, a half smile dancing across his face.

A thunderous sound echoed through the alley, knocking Rally and the bruiser to their knees. The windows of the nearby buildings didn’t rattle. The stones beneath Rally’s feet didn’t move. And yet…he felt like they should have. The sound reverberated through Rally’s chest as the sound cracked through the alley again, shaking him to his very core. It was a sound that could shake a city. A sound that could stop a heart. A cannon shot. A beast’s roar. An oncoming storm. A sound that  _ should not exist. _

It blacked out Rally’s thoughts, dimmed his vision so the only thing he could see was Braeden standing stock-still in the middle of the alley, eyes closed, hands frozen.

It echoed again. And again. And again. Seven times the sound wracked the alleyway and its occupants, and Braeden stood unmoving through it all.

After the last sound had died away and silence fell on the alleyway, the only sound was the blubbering of the trembling bruiser who was curled into a fetal position on the cobble. Braeden opened his eyes and let out a soft exhale before kneeling down next to the whimpering man and lifting him by his collar. “Tell your friends. Don’t touch him again,” Braeden rasped before letting the sobbing man fall back onto the street. The unspoken ‘or else’ hung thick in the air like smoke.

“You alright?” he asked quietly, turning to Rally. Rally blinked at Braeden with wide, topaz eyes, trying to clear his thoughts and return his internal hum to its natural state. He scrabbled at the ground for his glasses, his trembling fingers catching on the hinges as he nodded in Braeden’s general direction. He let Braeden help him to his feet, stumbling a bit as his legs tried to buckle. Braeden supported him, wrapping an arm around Rally’s shoulders before beginning to guide him back home towards the flophouse.

“Bubbles,” he asked softly as they made their way slowly down the dark street. “What… _ was  _ that?”

Braeden didn’t answer for a few seconds. “‘I could have knocked,’” he quoted simply. “‘I didn’t.’”

Rally dipped his head in partial understanding. “Are you…alright?”

Braeden nodded, a distant look in his eyes. “I’m…I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know…” he trailed off, glancing away.

Rally blinked. “No, no, no, no, no, no, Bubbles. Thank you. Thank you very, very much.”

Bubbles cracked a smile. “Sure thing,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Just…don’t go getting yourself into any more trouble than you already are. You don’t need Hell on your heels  _ again _ .”

Rally smiled a wide, fangy smile. “I promise all gambling will be risk free from now on.”

Braeden laughed, suddenly and clearly, startling himself. “Sounds good to me.”

And for once, for once in a long, long time, it was okay to be a Seeker and a devil on the streets of London. For once, it was okay.


End file.
